Sunday, November 21, 2010

Happy Feet

All things interesting and funny have deserted my life as I have been just putting the building blocks together for a good 2011.

-Pilates, lots of pilates. With ballet dancers. Holy crap, these guys/gals are STRONG! And talk about flexible. I'm pretty jealous.

-Physio exercises, oh so many exercises, my feet, calves, glutes and pelvic floor are getting one hell of a work out. Thera-bands, spiky balls, cricket balls, toe separators, foam rollers, thoracic extensions, you name it; I've got it. I'm getting needles in the arse, elbows in the arse, yes I am basically paying a lot of $/hr to get a whole bunch of disturbing and quite uncomfortable things done to my arse. What an odd life I lead...

-Gym, I am building up some semblance of hip stability so I can ride ride ride in the future and not have any issues. Squats, dead lifts, step ups, leg press, balancing on the wobble board! You don't need to be very strong to ride a bike, but you do need to be stronger than me, trust me!

So take the above three activities, repeat them many times during a weekly cycle, add in cycling to and from plus some cruisey rides and somehow I am still doing 20 hours + a week but it feels like I am doing nothing. Unless I come off the bike, exhausted and on the verge of muscle break down it just doesn't feel like I am 'training'. But these are the steps I have to take!

Mind you I wouldn't mind going for a decent ride!

So I'll continue the hunt for some funny material but for the time being I'll leave you with a note of a good experience at our last race in Belgium.

The race was a Pro Kermesse in Geraardsbergen that was up a hill, down around the hill and back up. 10 k laps, coupla k of climbing through the town on a nice bumpy cobbled road. It was cool. Real cool. There were loads of fans and top level bike riders there. Mr McEwen was the biggest rider of note.

Given my aforemetioned foot problems I did not last long. So plan B involved sampling the local tart (of the cake variety) and grabbing a coffee. As I was sitting in one of the cafes I noticed Allan Peiper walk in (which made sense given HTC had a few riders in the race). He must be one of the most recognisable people in world cycling.

I was feeling a bit sheepish and he was with a whole bunch of people so I didn't go over and say hello. That night I was discussing it with someone on facebook who was back in aus. Anyhow, this guy shoots and email off to Allan Peiper telling him that some random Melbourne kid saw him in a cafe at the race. Allan shoots back an email to me straight away saying

"Hi Jono,

Should have said hello but nice you respect people's space!

Where are you living? Maybe we can hook up for a ride or coffee next week.

Allan

Sent from my HTC"

A pity but I had to fly home so couldn't go for a ride with him. Damn. But that email made my day. Don't you love the internet sometimes!

Anon, it went over the bridge up the guts of the town, onto the paver, not too rough, not 'real' cobbles then turned right well before the chapel. there were a couple of nice sweeping turns on the descent.

At another race we went up past the Chapel but it used a different street to get through the town, a bit to the left of the road we raced in the kermesse